August 29th, 2012
Dear Parents:
We are back at it! Morning and after school extended care are up and running, volleyball and soccer practices are being held, and the school lunch program is off to a great start. Our Spanish teacher, Beatriz Cortes, began working with kindergarten through sixth grade students this past Monday. We are happy to have both Mike Shimabukuro (P.E.) and Irene Navarro (Music) join us again this year. We welcome our new dance teacher, Sue Rissotto, for our first dance class next Tuesday, September 4th. Also joining us this year as our school counselor is Vanessa Gamache, from the USF Center for Child and Family Development. Yes, we are back at it!
BACK-TO-SCHOOL NIGHT: Mark your calendar! Tomorrow evening, Thursday, August 30th, is our Back-to-School Night beginning at 6:30pm in the gym. This is a mandatory meeting for all parents. At least one parent from each family is required to attend. While it would be ideal if children could stay at home, we understand this is not always possible. Childcare for younger children enrolled at STM will be available in Carroll Hall at no cost. Children will not be allowed to attend the meeting. We will begin in the gym promptly at 6:30pm. Please arrive early enough to sign in with your child/ren’s teacher/s so that you may receive a raffle ticket. One lucky attending family will win $500 towards their tuition. Be on time! The raffle will take place at 6:30pm sharp. Following general introductions and a few brief presentations in the gym, teachers will make two, fifteen minute, duplicate presentations in their classrooms. The first will be from 7:30 - 7:45; the second will be from 7:50 - 8:05. These duplicate presentations will allow you to attend presentations by more than one teacher. There will be time to purchase school supplies, used uniforms, and to meet with representatives from some of our after school programs.
LET’S THINK LIKE JESUS: This year, the faculty has chosen to incorporate our Schoolwide Learning Expectations with our theme. Our theme for the year is ‘Let’s THINK like Jesus’. Students in all grades will learn more about how they can become Thoughtful, spiritual individuals, Highly effective communicators, Involved citizens, Nurturing individuals, and Knowledge seekers all while THINKing like Jesus and how he would like us to act.
Our first service project of the year will begin the collection of personal items/toiletries for our nation’s military personnel. Again this year we are partnering with the Blue Star Moms organization to provide personal items to our troops stationed overseas. Beginning Tuesday, September 4th through October 4th, we will be collecting the following travel size items: Powder - Gold Bond, foot and baby powder, baby wipes, hand sanitizer, Lip Balm/SPF, sunscreen, dental floss, toothbrushes, toothpaste, eye drops, shower gel, shampoo, deodorant, lotion, Q-tips, disposable razors, hand and foot warmers, and batteries (preferably AA). This is a great way to donate any unused travel size products you may have collected over the summer. There will be many more opportunities throughout the school year for you and your child to be involved in a variety of similar service projects.
IMPORTANT REMINDER: Families who have not yet returned their child’s Universal Medical Information/Emergency Contact Release and Consent Form and/or disaster forms are asked to do so by this Friday, August 31st. Without those forms we do not have the updated medical and family information for your child.
TDAP: Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, continues to be widespread in California. To help stop its spread, all students in 7th through 12th grade are required by law to have proof of a whooping cough booster (‘Tdap’) shot, or file an exemption, in order to attend classes this year. Students will not be allowed to attend classes after Friday, August 31st, 2012 without a shot record. In order to be sure that your child is in compliance with this law, we are asking that all 7th and 8th graders who have not yet provided this proof do so before Friday’s deadline.
TUITION AND FEES: A reminder that several school fees are due by Friday, August 31st. If you have not paid your Cultural/Disaster fee ($75 per student) or your Parents’ Club dues ($40 per family), please send them to the school office now. Also, families who pay tuition on a monthly schedule are reminded that the September payment is also due tomorrow, September 1st. Just a reminder, in an effort to reduce costs, we will no longer issue a paper receipt when a payment is made unless it is paid with cash. We ask that you use your bank/credit card statements as your receipt.
FIELD TRIPS: Today the 4th graders are receiving a permission slip for their upcoming field trip to the Sanchez Adobe. Students will experience life as it was on the Mexican Ranchos in early California. Among other things, the students will make adobe bricks, grind corn and make candles. Be sure to get those permission slips and payments back by the due date! As always, late forms will not be accepted.
HOT DOG SALES: Today you are receiving hot dog order forms for the first quarter. Please remember that order forms will be sent home at the beginning of each quarter. This will be your only opportunity to order. You must order for all four sales if you wish to participate in these special lunches. The hot dog lunches will continue every second Wednesday again this year. Please clearly mark the name, grade and the word HOTDOG on the envelope if you wish to order.
PIZZA SALES: Just a reminder that the pizza sale order form you received last week is due by this Friday, August 31st. If you have misplaced this form, it can be downloaded and printed from our website.
SODA FREE CAMPUS: In an effort to help our students make healthier beverage choices, we continue to be a soda free campus this year. Water, milk or juice will be served with all school provided lunches. Please do not send soda to school with your child for any occasion. Together we can set good examples for our children.
CALENDAR/HOT LUNCH: September’s calendar of events is included in today’s envelope. Please, keep it available for reference during the month. On the back of the calendar please find the Hot Lunch menu for September. The menu is also posted on the school website. Children may bring lunch from home or take advantage of the school lunch program we offer. We are continuing with the same caterer as last year. This year the lunch price continues to be $4.00. Students ordering the hot lunch will receive an entrée, a fruit/vegetable component and milk. Milk alone can be ordered for 50¢. You may order the lunch whenever you wish. If your child has forgotten his/her lunch at home, you may call and order a school lunch as long as you call before 9:00 a.m. Just pay the next day. This service allows us to provide for those who wish to order lunch as well as for those who have forgotten a lunch. You may order and pay for lunch for your child on a daily basis. However, if you know that your child will be ordering lunch several times, it is most convenient for us to have you pay for several days at once. Lunch will not automatically be ordered for a child, even if paid for in advance, unless the child is in class when the order is taken (usually between 8:15 and 8:30) or we have received a phone call before 9:00 a.m. asking us to order lunch for a student who will be arriving late, but in time for lunch. We will do our best to ensure that no child goes hungry.
BIRTHDAYS: If you wish to provide class refreshments on the occasion of your child’s birthday, please contact the classroom teacher at least a week in advance to make a mutually convenient plan. Refreshments must be limited to: an individual serving of prepared treats (such as a muffin, a bagel or a piece of fruit) and a self-serve beverage (milk or juice). Please avoid snacks high in sugar and fats. Need suggestions? Ask your child’s teacher. No goody bags allowed. Refreshments should be dropped off to the office before school or at the time specified by the teacher.
BIRTHDAY BOOKS: If you are planning to bring treats to celebrate your child’s birthday, you are required to purchase a “Birthday Book” for our school library. This year all books are $15. Each book that you purchase from the school will have a bookplate placed in the front of the book indicating that the book was donated by your child. The students in your child’s class will have the first opportunity to enjoy the selection before it is added to the school library. This book represents your family’s lasting appreciation to the school, as well as honoring your child’s birthday. Books are pre-selected by the teacher to provide a well-rounded class library regarding subject matter and grade appropriateness.
FUNDRAISING CATALOG: Today we are sending home the fund raising gift catalog and order forms with every child. Some of you have opted out of participating in this fundraiser by paying the necessary buy-out fee. If you are one of those who have done so, please feel free to place an order anyway. All support is welcome! Families who did not pay the necessary fee to opt out of the catalog sale by June 1st are required to participate in this fundraiser. Participating families must make a combination of personal purchases and/or sales to friends and co-workers for a minimum of $100 per child enrolled in STM. All order forms are due back to the classroom teachers by Wednesday, September 19th. Extra catalogs are available from the office or your child’s teacher. Can you help? We need a parent volunteer(s) to help count and collate the orders that come in. Please contact the school office if you are available.
SHOPAROO: This year we are participating in a hassle-free fundraiser called Shoparoo. All you need to do is take pictures of your grocery receipts with the Shoparoo app for smartphones and tablets. It doesn’t matter where you shop or what you buy - every receipt submitted results in a donation to our school! So, what are you waiting for? Simply download the free app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store and then select St. Thomas More School as your chosen cause. Since there is no limit to how much money we can raise with Shoparoo, be sure to invite your friends and neighbors to join in – every receipt counts!
BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL PROCEDURES: Regular yard supervision begins at 7:45. It is not acceptable to leave children unsupervised in front of the school, on the steps of the hall or in front of church before this time. Students who are dropped off before the yard opens at 7:45 must be enrolled in the Morning Extended Care Program or stay with their parent until the yard opens. Students who have been left at school unattended by a parent before 7:45 may be brought into morning extended care by a member of the staff. They will be charged at a rate of $10 per day for that service.
At dismissal, only Kindergarten parents are allowed to enter the schoolyard. Kindergarten students must stay with their teacher at dismissal until someone comes for them. If they are not picked up by 3:00pm, they will be placed in extended care. It is a good idea for parents to notify their children’s teachers in writing when they are planning to use the extended care program. Little ones don’t always
know what they are doing and may insist that their parent is missing. It is also especially helpful that parents let us know who will be picking up the child each day.
PARKING AND TRAFFIC: Finally we have a few notes about parking and traffic at school. There are a number of rules that have been established over the years. These address many issues and, when they are followed, make life easier for everyone. At this time, we need to remind everyone of a few guidelines. First, please avoid U-turns if at all possible. We ask you to drive around the church instead. Second, please don’t drive down into the golf course unless it’s absolutely necessary. Never park on, nor drive across, their grass. (Yes, that is a problem every year.) Also, very important, is avoiding parking incorrectly if you turn right at the top of Thomas More Way (toward the golf course). There are only two marked spaces available on both sides of the road immediately adjacent to the hedge. Do not park on the side of that road next to the tall bushes where the no parking sign is. (The Golf Club WILL tow your car if you are parked in their way) And lastly, please be respectful and courteous to our neighbors at the Golf Club, St. Thomas More Church and Alma Via. We all need to share the valuable and limited parking spaces.
For the next few weeks, at dismissal, we will allow parking on Thomas More Way from the school gate to the corner of Brotherhood Way. If all goes well, this will become a permanent option for those picking up at dismissal. We ask that you continue to pay attention to the traffic patrol during drop off and pick up to ensure the safety of all our children. Practice patience, drive carefully!
AFTER SCHOOL EXTENDED CARE: Get your forms in!!! Three forms went home last week for Afternoon Extended Care: (1) Services Agreement; (2) Parent Authorization; and (3) Food Allergy Form. These forms MUST be turned in if there is even a possibility your child might go to Afternoon Extended Care this school year. Some forms are still missing and the grace period ends this Friday. Beginning Tuesday, September 4th, a child is not qualified to attend Afternoon Extended Care without these forms having been signed and returned. Thanks for your attention to this detail.
SCHOOL VOLUNTEERS: STM appreciates the many hours of time you give to help in the classrooms, chaperone on field trips, help with pizza and hot dog sales, bake cookies, coach sport teams, yard duty, and help with the many other school activities. Archdiocese policy dictates that all persons (parents, friends, relatives) who work in any capacity that have contact with children must submit to a background check and have completed the safe and caring training course online (Shield the Vulnerable). If you are new to the school or have not yet completed these two requirements, we have included information on how to go about doing this.
UTOPIA PRESCHOOL: Congratulations also to our Utopia Preschool for a successful summer program. Our numbers for the fall continue to grow. Currently we have 35 students enrolled and several other applications pending. Thanks to some hard work by our director, Gloria Perez, we have been again approved for PFA (Preschool for All) funding. PFA is a city-funded initiative that funds a part-day preschool program. Regardless of family income, all children who will be 4-years-old on or before December 2, 2012, and live in San Francisco are eligible for PFA.
Finally, we want you to know how pleased we are to be working with you again this year in the education of your child. It is our pleasure. If you have any questions or concerns now or in the future, please let us know.
We wish to thank everyone for making the start of the school year so smooth.
Sincerely,
Marie Fitzpatrick
